Admissions Requirements

Requirements apply to both Clinical Mental Health Counseling & School Counseling Applications except where noted.

GPA

3.00 or higher undergraduate GPA (If an applicant’s GPA is lower than 3.00 then Professional Counseling faculty will consider applicant’s academic performance during the last 60 hours of his or her undergraduate program) 

Pre-requisite Classes

Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling:

Pre-requisite course must be taken prior to admission or within the first year in the program (with a minimum grade of B):

• Abnormal Psychology (PSY 3230) or equivalent

Admission Test Score

For applicants whose undergraduate grade point average is under 3.0 then a minimum score of 146 on the Verbal Reasoning subtest of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) OR a minimum score of 385 on the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) is required.  (The Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing subtest scores of the GRE are not considered for admissions purposes.)

For applicants whose undergraduate grade point average is 3.0 or above then no graduate school admissions test score is required.

Recommendations

Three (3) positive recommendations.  Endorsers should use the recommender link provided by the College of Graduate Studies.

Written Essay / Statement of Purpose

A written essay/statement of purpose in which the applicant’s reason for pursuing a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling or School Counseling is congruent with the focus/emphasis of the program.  The applicant should use the Professional Counseling supplemental application form located on the Professional Counseling website for this purpose.  

Resume/Vita

Resume and/or vita that includes name, address and phone number of applicant; school applicant attended and applicant’s major, minor and grade point average; honors and awards; and employment and volunteer experiences.

Interview

If invited, participate in a half-day interview is required. The interview is conducted by Professional Counseling faculty and a practicing clinical mental health counselor and school counselor. An invited applicant must review the Professional Counseling handbook (which can be found on the Professional Counseling website) and the most current version of the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics prior to the interview day and agree in writing to abide by the contents of those documents – should they be admitted into the program – on the day of the interview.  Applicant must receive a positive recommendation from the faculty and counselors for program admission.

Disclaimer

Note: Meeting minimum requirements for program admission does not guarantee admission as applicants are selected on a competitive basis.  The areas above will receive relatively equal weighting although an area of outstanding strength could help compensate for other areas of relative weakness.  Likewise, an area of particular weakness, such as negative references could offset some of the stronger areas.